Iowa voters handily pass state constitution amendments

Iowa voters overwhelmingly approved a pair of proposed state constitutional amendments — one on voting and one on the gubernatorial line of succession — in Tuesday’s general election.

Both proposals were approved by state lawmakers in 2022 and 2023 and then had to be passed by Iowa voters with a simple majority, or a 50 percent plus one vote, to be codified into the state constitution.

Voting age in Iowa

The first amendment, which lowers the legal voting age in Iowa to 18 among other provisions, passed with about 77 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning in unofficial results.

Any U.S. citizen age 18 or older has had the right to vote in Iowa for decades, but it hadn’t been codified in the state constitution — which still had the voting age set at 21 under an amendment ratified in 1970.

The amendment also allows 17-year-olds who will turn 18 by the general election to vote in primary elections.

The measure also changes language in the constitution to say that “only U.S. citizens” can vote. The current language states that “every” citizen can vote.

The exact text of the amendment to Article II, Section 1 of the state constitution is: “Only a citizen of the United States of the age of eighteen years, who shall have been a resident of this state for such period of time as shall be provided by law and of the county in which the citizen claims the citizen’s vote for such period of time as shall be provided by law, shall be entitled to vote at all elections which are authorized by law. However, for purposes of a primary election, a United States citizen must be at least eighteen years of age as of the next general election following the primary election. The required periods of residence shall not exceed six months in this state and sixty days in the county.”

Gubernatorial succession

The second amendment that appeared on the ballot, which provides clear guidelines for what should happen if an Iowa governor resigns, dies or is removed from office, was approved by over 80 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning in unofficial results.

When Gov. Kim Reynolds replaced former Gov. Terry Branstad in 2017, the legal question arose about whether the Iowa Constitution granted Reynolds’ appointed lieutenant governor, Adam Gregg, the office’s full authority and whether he would become governor if Reynolds died or left office.

  Buy Photo

The question didn’t become relevant for Branstad and Reynolds before they were elected to their offices in 2018. But since Gregg resigned in September to take another job, Reynolds will make another appointment to the position — sometime after Tuesday’s election, her office has said.

The new amendment clarifies that the lieutenant governor will replace the governor if needed, even if appointed and not elected.

The exact text of the amendment to Article IV, Section 17 is: “Lieutenant governor or lieutenant governor-elect to become or act as governor or governor-elect. If there is a temporary disability of the governor, the lieutenant governor shall act as governor until the disability is removed, or the governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office. In case of the death, resignation, or removal from office of the governor, the lieutenant governor shall become governor for the remainder of the term, which shall create a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor. This section shall also apply, as appropriate, to the governor-elect and lieutenant governor-elect.”

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com